Hiccup's Lessons on Happiness
by Verawrites-93
Summary: A series of oneshots in which Hiccup learns what it is to be happy with the help of his dragon, his lady, his friends, and his village. (Loosely based on the novel Hector's Lessons on Happiness.) Rated T for future chapters. Main pairing: Hiccstrid
1. Lesson One: Making comparisons

I just recently watched a movie and have begun to read the novel on which said movie was based and am not lying when I say that I absolutely loved it. It hit me in all of the right places and has awoken parts of me that have been lying dormant for a long time. I had forgotten what it was to be aware of what I have in my life, to appreciate the fact that I have absolutely all that I need, and that there is no reason for me to be unhappy. There are people with much, much less than I that are perfectly content. Happiness is nothing but a way of looking at life; it is not unattainable, it is not the goal, it just is. So, without further ado:

 **Hiccup's Lessons on Happiness**

 **Lesson number one:** _Making comparisons can spoil your happiness._

"Good morning m'lady," he said to the heavily armored blonde, waving his hand and bowing for good measure.

"Good morning, Oh great dragon master," playing along, curtseying back at him and adding a smile.

Every Lørdag began the same way; Hiccup left with Toothless before the sun began to rise and the pair made their way on foot around the village, doing a quick once over, making a mental list of the things that would need to be addressed over the course of the day, before coming to a stop in front of the stables. Here, they met up with Astrid and Stormfly for breakfast before moving on to the academy.

"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked as she walked down into one of the many crevices within the walls of the stables where barrels of fish were kept for the dragons, her words echoing as she moved further into the darkness. He could hear as she tipped the barrel onto its side, as she strained to push, get the thing moving, and as the barrel began to roll.

"I was thinking you and the twins might take the older group up for some maneuvering and formation drills," he met her halfway, coming alongside her to help roll the barrel to where their dragons sat not-so-patiently waiting for their meal, "and Fishlegs and I will introduce the new class to their dragons." They worked together to pry the lid off, the fish squelching as the slimy mass unceremoniously poured out onto the ground. They watched as their dragons looked at one another, to the fish, and back, Toothless conceding, whirring at Stormfly with a nod of his head, the blue dragon digging right in.

"That's right bud, ladies first," grinning at his companion, offering him a pat on the shoulder before walking back into the storage room for another barrel, Astrid helping him to tip the barrel onto the ground, steadying him as he stumbled slightly before regaining his balance and pushing. Hiccup appreciated the way she handled his handicap; if you could call it that. She was always there to offer her help without condescension or pity; she was there for assistance and that was all, she was supportive, a crutch or a nudge when he needed one.

"So the twins will work with the kids riding the Zipplebacks? You know, two heads and all," the lid to the second barrel popped off, Toothless barked in thanks before setting to the fish himself.

"Whatever the three of you are comfortable with." She took a seat on a ledge jutting out from the wall, watching Hiccup as he walked over to the bag he had dumped on the floor, smiling as his lips pulled into a frown as he rummaged through it, unsuccessful, and then dropped it back on the ground. He turned to her with a sheepish look on his face that she couldn't help but laugh at. Her hands went to the pouch on her belt, pulling out two chunks of bread and dried herring.

"Well that's embarrassing. Even when it's my turn to bring the food, it's still your turn." He sat down next to her, taking his share with an apologetic look.

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, tugging at the braid behind his ear, "I know better by now; you get so wrapped up in what you have to do, that you forget what you have to do." Toothless perked at the sound of his boy's laughter, nudging his arm with his snout and curling up at his feet.

"Sounds like I need a better assistant." He had barely finished his sentence before a fist connected with his shoulder. He laughed at the look on her face.

"Better start looking." She stood, brushing off a few errant crumbs, putting the lids back onto the barrels and began rolling them to the mouth of the shoot that sent them back down to the water, where they would float in a holding pin until they were gathered to be filled with fish once more. He shoved the rest of his breakfast into his mouth and rushed over to help.

* * *

He looked overhead to see his favorite freckle faced Viking sitting atop her Deadly Nadder, hovering above the arena, one arm held out, gesturing from left to right as she passed on a new set of instructions to the group of younger riders in front of her. Smiling as they broke off one at a time to perform what was asked of them, their silhouettes forming a slightly wobbly, but very obviously, diamond shape. "Great work, guys - Astrid!" Her hand came down on her bicep, thrusting a clenched fist into the air. He laughed at her obscene gesture. She smiled when she thought he couldn't see.

In the distance the green Zippleback with the set of twins riding atop could be seen with three other young riders, both on the backs of their own two headed dragons, weaving through the trees.

He and Fishlegs had had their own hands full all morning, introducing the eight, nine, and ten year olds to what were to be their dragons for the first time. The dragons chose their riders and Hiccup and Fishlegs instructed the children on how to bond with their dragon mate, as well as how not to anger or scare them. Some of the children had taken to their dragons right away and had already begun making slow laps around the arena, while others were still on the ground making laps on foot. There was only one child who had yet to even touch their dragon.

It was Gustav Larson's eight year old sister, Gertie. The little girl had given up trying to bond with the dragon that had chosen her, and had promptly, and very decidedly, sat down in the very center of the arena, her head in her hands and her back to her dragon. Hiccup and Fishlegs exchanged looks, Hiccup nodding, before making his way to where she sat, sitting down right next to her. "What's going on, Gertie?" He asked, placing a hand on the girl's tiny shoulder. Her eyes were watery, her lip quivered as she looked up at him.

"Look, Chief," she pointed at all of the kids flying around her, "look at everyone else," He obliged, his eyes taking a lap around the arena themselves before he looked back down at hers, "and look at us." A little finger pointed accusingly at the tiny purple Nadder behind them. Hiccup nodded his head at the girl.

"I see."

"This dragon won't even let me get on her back. Gustav's Fanghook didn't do this. I want a new one." Her brows furrowed as she looked up at Hiccup.

"That's not how this works, Gertie, you know that. She chose you, she wants to work with you, you have to work with her; it's a partnership."

"I don't want a Deadly Nadder. She's puny, look at her," She was standing now, both arms crossed, a look of displeasure on her face. "None of the other dragons are as small as her. Gustav's dragon was much bigger. He flew his on the first day. I want to be a better dragon rider than Gustav. I can't do that with this dragon." As the words continued to pour out of the girl's mouth, the Nadder seemed to shrink, the dragon's eyes meeting the ground.

Hiccup propped himself up on his knee, level with the girl's face, "The dragon's don't understand Norse very well, but they're pretty smart you know. Look," he tilted his head in the direction of where the young Nadder stood, waiting for the girl to see the affect her words were having on the dragon. The girl took note of the way the dragon's head hung, of how much further away from her the dragon now stood; she had almost backed herself into the far wall of the arena. Gertie's eyes began to water again, this time with shame rather than frustration. His hand came up to rest on the girl's shoulder.

"She is very small, but only because she's young, like you, Gertie. She's not strong enough yet to fly with you on her back, but she will be. You just have to give her a chance. You have to be patient." The girl shrugged her shoulders and looked up at Hiccup.

"But Gustav – ,"

"Toothless wouldn't let me touch him at first either. It took a long time before I could fly him, he was hurt and I was too eager; I didn't yet understand him or myself. We had to learn to be patient with one another, to work together as a team before we could really fly," he pointed above to where Astrid hovered, looking down at him and Gertie, "Astrid had to show Stormfly that she could be trusted before she was allowed to fly with her. Gustav only flew Fanghook on their first day because Gustav was so willing to bond with his dragon." Gertie nodded her head in understanding. "Every one of us is different, the dragons, too. Never compare yourself to anyone else for any reason, Gertie. That can only hurt you and hold you back." He angled his head so that she was forced to meet his eyes. His brows rose as he nodded his head at her, waiting for her to nod back in understanding, smiling when she did.

"Now, let's properly introduce you to your new friend, ok?" Hiccup stood and offered his hand to the little girl, who took it and gave it a little squeeze. They walked towards the Nadder together, Hiccup encouraging the girl forward as he held back, "Talk to her Gertie, talk to her and offer your hand."

The girl walked on, hesitant as she approached the dragon that had chosen her. "Hey girl," she said softly, barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry I said all of those mean things." The dragon perked up in interest, turning its head so that the girl was in her direct line of sight. "I just didn't understand," she extended her little hand out towards the dragon, her fingers shaking.

"Chief Hiccup says you're still young." The Nadder chirped at her, taking a few steps forward, still not meeting Gertie's hand. Gertie turned to look back at Hiccup for help.

"Just keep talking to her Gertie, you've got her attention." Gertie's eyes widened and she let out a gasp as she felt the warm snout of the Nadder make contact with her hand, Hiccup smiled at her, "You can turn around, it's ok."

The girl was shaking, her smile blinding, her entire body shaking from the excitement; the dragon accepted her, the dragon trusted her even after she had doubted it. Gertie turned around to face the dragon, placing her other hand on the Nadder's snout, "I'm little, too. We can learn to fly together, ok?" The Nadder with the vibrant purple scales nudged the girl's chest with its snout and joined the little girl in her excitement with a series of chirps to match her laughter.

Astrid landed and hopped off of her own Nadder at that moment, brushing her fingers through Hiccup's hair as she passed, "Alright Gertie, let's show you how to keep her looking pretty. You've got to give her a name she likes, too." She guided the girl and her Nadder away towards the mock stables in the back of the arena. Hiccup smiled as he watched them.

* * *

Later that evening Hiccup sat in his house, Toothless curled around his feet, his big black head resting on his boy's knee, soaking in the warmth from the fire. Astrid sat to his right, polishing the head of her axe with a rag, ending their Lørdag the same as any other.

"I heard everything you said to her." She had paused in her ministrations, looking over at him to gauge his reaction. "We've never really talked about, you know, before."

"What is there to talk about?" His eyes remained closed, hand idly stroking the reptile's snout.

"You didn't like yourself."

"Right."

"You didn't like yourself because of us," her voice was tinged with regret and sadness, "and we didn't help that any, we didn't notice, I didn't notice." He was looking at her now, brows furrowed, shaking his head.

"No, Astrid, I didn't like myself because I hadn't - ," he paused, looking at his dragon for help, "found myself yet," his answer sounding more like a question.

With a quick shake of his head he continued, "I disliked myself because I was so focused on what everyone else was doing, what everyone else was capable of, what everyone else had. I hadn't learned to look at myself and see what was really there." Astrid had crossed the room, giving Toothless an affectionate rub behind an ear flap, silently asking him to share his rider. The dragon obliged, moving closer to the fire so that she could situate herself on Hiccup's lap.

"How did you figure that out?" Her hands were in his hair, brushing out the tangles left over from the flight they had taken earlier.

"Toothless helped me. Helping him allowed for me to take a step back from everything and everyone in the village. With Toothless, for the first time I could see the kind of person I was and what I was capable of." She nodded her head, her fingers un-doing and re-braiding his hair.

"You helped me, too." His hand traced along the line of her thigh, circling her knee and back up again, "You confirmed everything that I was beginning to see in myself. You believed in me. You gave me the courage to face my dad, the village, Alvin, Dagur, and then Drago. Even now, with my dad gone, I know that I can do this because you've got my back."

Her lips found his temple and she graced him with a smile. In true Astrid fashion, she followed up with a light smack to the back of his head, "Dork." He smirked back at his lady in response, resting his head on the back of the chair before closing his eyes again, grinning as her head found its way to his shoulder, her nose tucking into the warmth of his neck.

"So, making comparisons can spoil your happiness," she said, voice light, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Exactly."

"So what's all of this about finding a better assistant then?" His laughter could be heard outside of the house. People passing by smiled knowingly and with great joy for their chief.


	2. Lesson Two: Those around you

Thank you for the reviews, guys! I really appreciate them! Makes _**me**_ happy to see that you're enjoying what you're reading!

This one takes place before the first lesson; they kind of go hand in hand. (Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.)

And on to the next lesson:

 **Lesson number two:** _Happiness_ _means making sure those around you are happy._

* * *

The first few weeks after Stoick's death had been hard. The weeks following those: even more so.

Hiccup had tried his very best to keep it together, to do everything he had seen his father do for their village every year in preparation for the long winter months ahead. Harvest the fields, send out hunting parties, fishing boats, preserve food, ensure that plenty of firewood sat stacked outside of each home. There was so much destruction after the battle with Drago and his Bewilderbeast, so much ice. He had had to oversee the reconstruction of homes and structures on top of everything else. He had help, of course, but not from Stoick. Hiccup didn't have his father.

He kept his chin up as best as he could, the will to push on and do his father right much stronger than the feeling of being overwhelmed, of wanting to run, to hop on Toothless and fly off towards the distant lands he had heard stories of from his mother. Then there was the feeling of longing and sadness that accompanied every order that left his lips; it still felt wrong to be filling his father's shoes; they were enormous ones, no doubt. But he kept pushing on. At least in front of the villagers; in front of the villagers he was strong and steady.

Only his closest companions knew how unlike himself the young Chief was being. His mother hadn't been around him long enough to know, to be able to read his expressions and mannerisms. Toothless and Astrid, however, were another story.

Toothless could feel everything, the sadness rolling off of his boy, a thick, acrid darkness crashing into the Night Fury's senses every time they made their way up the hill to his childhood home. He could sense the distress, the anxiety; hazy and choking, mixing with the dense fog that already surrounded his companion as they hauled log after tedious log to the next house, as he poured over piles of parchment, cursing when his scribblings didn't add up. Rarely now did his boy meet eyes with anyone, and when he did, he could see that they no longer held their brightness.

It saddened the dragon immensely to watch as his dearest friend hurt in ways that he couldn't right.

Astrid, who had always been at the forefront of his mind, now took a back seat on most days, even living in the same house. Communication between the two had slackened to almost nothing but a few words in the morning, mostly out of courtesy. Touch had stopped altogether; Hiccup wouldn't let her get too close. He was gone and out the door before she could even think to offer her arms in a hug. He had become distant and closed off. She had assumed it would pass. ' _He's grieving,_ ' she had thought, _'Hiccup is grieving the loss of his father and his freedom. He just needs some space._ ' She decided she would let him have that much, and she had, for a time, but it had only gotten worse as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months. But that wasn't even what bothered her.

It was the fact that he was blind to it all.

* * *

The villagers of Berk gathered round as the Gronckle and its' rider lowered the log down into place, the Vikings stationed on either end of the roof at the ready, guiding it, and freeing it of its ropes as it klunked into its designated slot. The crowd erupting into cheers as the Vikings secured what was the last log in a series of what felt like never ending repairs.

All of the homes on Berk had been restored to their former glory. The crops had been harvested and properly readied, the meat stores were full of wild game and fish, and each home had a massive stack of wood for their hearths for when winter really set in. Preparation was complete, the hard work was done. Now, they would celebrate.

* * *

The mead hall was filled to the brim with Vikings and dragons of all shapes and sizes. The warm bodies packed closely together, heating the room, challenging the cold of the flurries that had begun to fall outside. An entire table lined with meats, vegetables, bread, and more importantly, mead, was pushed against the farthest wall.

Tables had been hastily shoved out of the way, clearing the center of the room where men, women, children, and dragons hopped and twirled along to the merry tunes played by the Vikings whose raucous, booming voices sang loudly over the sounds of chatter and laughter.

Hiccup sat where his father had sat for so many years; the massive wooden chair making him appear small, looking out at his people without really seeing; his mind busy. Numbers danced around in his thoughts, counting the bouncing heads in the room, cross matching with the final fish, boar, sheep, and vegetable counts. They would make it, but just barely. Just barely wasn't quite good enough.

He had hardly noticed the feather light touch on his shoulder, he had jumped a little when he realized the touch was accompanied by a voice, "Hiccup?" Her words were soft, cautious, like she was approaching a dragon for the first time. He frowned a little at this.

"Yes, Astrid?" He turned to look at her and saw the trepidation in her eyes. A moment ago he had seen her dancing with Ruffnut, a wide, vibrant smile on her face as the pair swirled, blonde braids bouncing off fur-laden shoulders. He raised a brow at her, patting the seat nearest him, indicating that she should sit. She shook her head. His frown returned and his surly eyes found their way back to the crowd.

"Why aren't you out there?" Even the familiar square head of his dragon could be seen in the crowd with a gummy grin, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he hopped in time with the Vikings around him.

"There's still so much to worry about." His brow remained pinched, his neck and shoulders tense.

"That's true, and will always be," she stepped forward, her fingertips brushing his forearm, remaining firm as he flinched at her touch, her warmth, "but for now, you should be out there celebrating."

He spared her a quick side-long glance, "Celebrating what? We barely finished everything in time. Gods know we could still use a few more boar to keep us fed. My dad would've done better."

She released a noise of exasperation. "Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?"

"What?"

"Are we not seeing the same thing, or are you really going to continue letting your own insecurities blind you to what's right in front of your face?" He looked at her with anger in his eyes, he was getting frustrated, she could sense it. He wasn't understanding.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed him by the jaw, forcing his head to look back out onto the village, who remained packed tightly together, everyone seeming to move in sync, "Look, Hiccup," she shook his face, "See."

It took him a moment, but she watched as his brows began to relax, and his frown slackened, "Listen, Hiccup." Her fingers fell from his face, resting on his shoulder as she continued to observe him.

The room was full of warmth and joy. The whole room seemed to be alive, each Viking feeding off of the others' glee; like one massive organism, fueled by music, mead, and dance. The sound of their laughter flooded his ears and found its way into his chest. His people were happy. He had made his people happy. He could feel a warmth beginning to spread, a lightness that began to creep into every part of his body.

If they were happy, why shouldn't he be too?

She saw the moment it clicked in his mind; she could practically feel the weight that had been hovering over him lift as the tension in his body released. He blinked away tears as a smile began to form on his lips. Before she could say anything, his arms had pulled her into a tight embrace; he clung to her waist as tightly as he ever had. "Thank you," he muttered through the cloth of her tunic.

"Stoick would be proud of you, Hiccup. I'm proud of you," her arms wove their way around his shoulders, pulling him impossibly tighter to her, "You keep thinking that you have to _be_ him, but that's not true at all." She pushed at his shoulders so that she could see his face. "This is what matters," her arms spread wide, gesturing to her people, and then to themselves. "If they're happy, then you've done your job well. The rest will follow."

"I'm sorry," he brought his forehead in to rest on her abdomen, holding tight to her hips, "I let me get me down. I just got so caught up in trying to do this job, this enormous job, that I lost sight of what was really important."

"That's what I'm here for," she nudged him lightly with her elbow, "to push your scrawny ass back on the right track when you start to wander off." He chuckled, nodding his head, frizzing his hair. She took a step back and offered him her hand.

"Come on, you owe me more than a few dances, you grump." He smiled at her as he took her hand, walking down from the platform where his eyes and heart had been opened, where he learned about an entirely different kind of joy, and an entirely different kind of love.


End file.
